‘Draft Day’ entertaining for all...

Pat Tyrer is a writer and associate professor of American literature at West Texas A&M University

Published
11:15 am CDT, Saturday, April 26, 2014

If you are, or ever have been, a football fan, you’re sure to enjoy Kevin Cosner’s new film, “Draft Day.” The film follows general manager Sonny Weaver (Cosner) who, as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, is in the process of rebuilding his team by finessing the NFL draft process. After negotiating with San Francisco’s general manager Tom Michaels (Patrick St. Esprit), Sonny manages to get the No. 1 pick. Unfortunately, he gets him by giving away his future draft picks, a decision which delights the Brown’s owner, Anthony Molina (Frank Langella), and horrifies Brown’s Coach Penn (Denis Leary). Amidst the drafting rivalries, calls from eligible players, and arguments from his own staff, Sonny is called to make some major life decisions when his girlfriend Ali (Jennifer Garner) announces that she’s pregnant, and his mother, Barb Weaver (Ellen Burstyn), decides to bury Sonny’s father and her husband, a previous Brown’s head coach on the 50-yard line of the practice field, the day of the draft. The fact that Sonny had fired his dad as the Browns coach a couple of years before only adds to the drama. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman and was written by first time film screenwriters Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph, although the two have written for several other highly acclaimed venues including for television and for the Broadway Theater.

To say this film is exciting is an understatement. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes on NFL draft day, this film will give you an insider’s advantage. Several outstanding young actors fill the roles as potential draft candidates including Chadwick Boseman who plays running back Vontae Mack, a young man who has adopted his sister’s two young boys after she died from cancer and desperately needs to be picked up early in the draft so his salary will be sufficient to raise two boys. Tom Welling plays Brian Drew, the No. 1 draft pick who Sonny hesitates in choosing, causing mass hysteria among the Brown’s coaching staff, who see no other viable contenders for their first, hard-won pick.

Much of the delight in watching the film is in seeing broadcasters and football players doing cameos as themselves. Chris Berman, aka “Boomer,” the anchor of SportsCenter, Monday Night Countdown, Sunday NFL Countdown, the U.S. Open Golf Tournament, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, plays himself in a major role in the film, commenting on the various negotiations going on behind the scenes. He’s joined by Mel Kiper, Jr., the American football analyst for ESPN, who has provided NFL draft coverage since 1984, playing himself. Jon Gruden, NFL head coach of the Oakland Raiders and current NFL analyst for ESPN also does a cameo, along with Mike Mayock, another NFL Network Analyst and star of the Mike & Mike show, both playing themselves. Finally among the analysts is Aaron Goldhammer, the ESPN Cleveland Browns broadcaster. The addition of former athletes such as Deion Sanders (former football and baseball player), Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs first baseman), and Alex Mack (Cleveland Browns center) adds to the veracity and fun of the film. A few other well-known faces show up in the film: rapper Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy, Diddy, and P. Diddy) plays Chris Crawford, No. 1 pick Brian Drews’ manager and Sam Elliott appears as Coach Moore, Brian Drews’ high school football coach.

“Draft Day” is a well-crafted, feel-good movie about football. Even if you’re not a football fanatic, there’s much in this film to be enjoyed. Rated PG-13 for brief, strong language and sexual references with 109 minute runtime.